Bottom line: If you can get past the (not bad) generic
styling, the
Mazda 6 is an excellent mid-size car with power, nice features, and a
comfortable ride. It should definitely be on your pre-purchase check
list.

When the Mazda6 was delivered to my driveway, I initially
wondered why
I was getting a Camry. At first glance it was hard to tell exactly what
car I was getting. Of course, a quick check proved that the car was
indeed a Mazda6 and not one of those other mid-size cars.

That was the only “problem” we had with the car.
The Mazda6 proved to
be an excellent mid-size, with several advantages and features over its
competition.

One of those features was a blind spot monitoring system that
alerts
the driver to cars that are in either the left or right blind spot.
Initially, a symbol lights up in the exterior rearview mirror, but if
you put the turn signal on, there’s also a “beep” to warn
you. I never
had the nerve to push it to the next level, but I would hope that there
would be some added resistance put on the steering to deter lane
shifting.

The Mazda6 is powered by a 3.7-liter V6 that delivers a healthy
272
horsepower. I liked the power level of the Mazda6. Combined with a
6-speed automatic transmission, the car is comfortable to drive with
enough power in reserve to help you escape from potentially difficult
situations.

There is a manual mode to the transmission as well if you want
to
derive a bit more performance. All that’s needed is to shift the
lever
to the left into “M” mode and push it forward or backward to
shift.
However, if you aren’t careful, you can put it into “M”
accidentally
and your alert is the extra noise from an engine that is revving far
more than it should.

Handling is softer than one would normally expect from a car
labeled
“Grand Touring,” but in defense it makes for a much more
comfortable
ride in almost all situations. There is some minor lean in hard
cornering, but it’s not a serious problem.

One of my favorite “modern” features that
wasn’t available 26 years
ago when we began this odyssey is pushbutton start/stop. In fact, with
keyless entry and a door that recognizes the key fob in your pocket,
you never need to remove the keys from your pocket.

The front seats don’t offer a lot of side support, but
they are
comfortable. They’re also heated and, combined with an excellent HVAS
system that warms the car quickly, there’s no need to be
uncomfortable
for long in the car.

Rear seats have excellent leg and knee room. The rear seats
also fold
flat to increase trunk capacity. The seat back releases are located in
the trunk itself, which makes actuating them less of a problem that if
they were located somewhere in the interior. The cargo area created
with the seat backs down has a flat floor, which adds to the
practicality. The rear seats have a unique LATCH system to connect
child seats. They’re a bear to unlatch, though.

Three of the doors have assist handles. When I questioned a
designer
once about having three, rather than four, assist handles, he responded
by saying the driver has the wheel to help gain entry to the car. I’m
not a fan of adding extra stress to the steering column, but since
modern steering columns really don’t move the gears in steering,
that’s
not a serious problem.

Up front there is a pair of cupholders, with bottle holders in
the
doors. There’s a two-level console with the AUX input in the deep
lower
section. All the door pulls have bottoms, so passengers have a place to
stow their cell phones.

Instruments consist of two large nacelles for the tachometer
and
speedometer, with two smaller ones for the fuel level and water
temperature gauges. There’s a large navigation/audio screen in the
center that opens to reveal the CD changer.

Once you get past the styling, which is at the top end of the
mid-size
segment – it just resembles too much some of the competition –
you’ll
definitely fall in like with the Mazda6, and there’s a good chance
you
may fall in love with it.

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